From the Principal
- Pablo Grana
- Nov 9
- 11 min read
Updated: Nov 17
The Month of November its Significance to Catholics
As we enter the month of November, we are reminded that this time holds a special place in the life of the Catholic Church. It is a sacred month of remembrance, reflection, and gratitude, a time when we pray for all those who have gone before us and give thanks for the gift of their lives and faith.
November begins with two deeply meaningful feasts, All Saints’ Day on November 1 and All Souls’ Day on November 2. These celebrations invite us to remember not only the saints in heaven who inspire us by their example of holiness, but also our loved ones, family members, and friends who have died and now rest in God’s eternal care. It is a beautiful expression of our Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints, that the living and the dead remain united in the love of Christ.
Throughout this month, we are encouraged to pray for the souls of the faithful departed, offering Mass intentions, prayers, and acts of kindness in their memory. This practice reminds us of the importance of hope and that death is not the end, but a passage to eternal life with God.
In our College community, November is also a time of gratitude and reflection. As the school year draws to a close, we give thanks for the many blessings we have shared for our students, their families, and our dedicated staff who continue to live out the College motto, “Journeying with Compassion.” We especially remember our Year 12 graduates who are completing their final HSC examinations and preparing to step into new chapters of their lives.
The spirit of the Good Samaritan reminds us that our faith is most visible when it is lived out in compassion and love for others. In this month of remembrance, may we continue to reach out to those who need comfort, understanding, and care — keeping alive the values of our House Patrons: Mercy, Compassion, Love, Justice, Nurture, and Service.
Prayer in the Month of November
Loving God,
We thank You for the gift of life and for the many people who have guided, loved, and shaped us along our journey.
As we remember our loved ones who have passed away, may we find comfort in Your promise of eternal life.
Grant peace to those who rest with You, and bless all who grieve with hope and healing.
In this month of remembrance, help us to live with hearts of compassion, to serve others generously,
and to walk each day in the spirit of the Good Samaritan
seeing You in every person we meet.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Outstanding Good Samaritan People and Students
Below are great examples of outstanding Good Samaritan People and Students from Weeks 1 to Week 4 of Term 4:
 Congratulations to Skye of Year 12, whose Core Composition has been nominated for possible inclusion in CALLBACK 2026! Being considered for a HSC Showcase is an incredible achievement and a testament to Skye’s talent and dedication. Well done, Skye! |  Congratulations to Fabian of Year 12, whose Industrial Technology Major Project has been nominated for possible inclusion in SHAPE 2026! Being nominated for a HSC Showcase is a remarkable achievement and a reflection of Fabian’s innovation and skill. An outstanding recognition, Fabian! |
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The 2025 Newman Symposium was recently held at the College. It showcased the creativity, innovation and critical thinking of our Year 7-10 Newman students. Families and staff enjoyed exploring the interactive exhibits and thought-provoking TED-style talks which centred on the theme, ‘A Changing World’. We thank our wonderful and dedicated Newman teachers, and congratulate all students for their inspiring presentations and outstanding effort in making the Symposium such an absolute success.
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Happy World Teachers’ Day! on 30th October we celebrated the incredible educators at Good Samaritan Catholic College, whose dedication, wisdom and care continue to inspire our students. To show their appreciation, our students cooked a delicious BBQ breakfast and wrote heartfelt affirmations to thank our teachers for the positive impact they make every day. Thank you for being the guiding lights in our community!
Congratulations to our HSC Class of 2025
We pray for and wish all our Year 12 students the very best as they have now concluded their HSC written examinations today last Friday.
Your dedication and hard work have brought you to this important milestone, and you’ve inspired the entire GSCC community along the way. Believe in yourselves - you have everything it takes to succeed. Best of luck, Year 12!
Update on Scheduled Building Works
Last term we were excited to inform you that we had two confirmed building works scheduled:
Good Samaritan Catholic College in partnership with Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) can now confirm that the final stage of the building works to complete the Specialist Support Classes Building has now been approved. The works will be broken up into two phases:
Phase 1: Was completed over the Term 3 Holidays and involved internal works in the classrooms and common area.
Phase 2: Is yet to be completed and will be completed over the Christmas Holidays and will involve major building work to create the third classroom (Stage 6 Senior) that will involve the removal and expansion of the existing Seminar room to be converted into a classroom. The works will also include the building of a staff study room as well.
The Canteen toilets (both male and female) received a refurbishment to its cubicle setup and main entrances. These were completed successfully and were back in operation by the beginning of Term 4.
The Administration Office and Staff Lunch Room were given a fresh coat of paint to refurbish the existing brown brick internal walls.
Ten classrooms had their IT Equipment (Projectors and Speakers) upgraded. This included the addition of the wireless streaming ViVi system.
A number of classrooms had their student desktops upgraded. These will continue over several holiday breaks throughout 2026 as well.
Australian Government Social Media Age Restrictions Update - Get ready for the new social media minimum age
The Australian Government is taking world-leading action to reduce online harms experienced by young Australians by introducing a minimum age to access social media.
From 10 December 2025, a new law will require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from having a social media account, and deactivate or freeze existing accounts held by people under 16.
Delaying access to social media accounts until the age of 16 will protect young Australians at a critical stage of their development, giving them 3 more years to build real world connections and online resilience.
This change will reduce access for young people to some of the harmful aspects of social media, such as algorithms that recommend content, infinite scrolling, and other features designed to keep users continuously engaged. The law is intended to capture social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X, Facebook and YouTube.
But it won’t stop young people from staying in touch with friends online, playing games, learning new things and being entertained. In fact, they will still be able to access messaging apps, online gaming, professional networking and development services, and services that are primarily for the purposes of education and health support.
This delay to social media will give young Australians more time to develop real world connections and digital literacy skills before they join global platforms.
For more information, and tips for helping under 16s prepare for the change, visit the eSafety website.
Please find below a link to an important update from the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner's Website:
New Parent/Carer Information Articles from the Sydney Catholic Schools Child Safeguarding Team: Safe Use of the Internet and Social Media
The SCS Child Safeguarding Team has developed three insightful newsletter articles addressing key trends affecting children and families. Please find a link to each of these below:
Important Reminders
Traffic and Parking Safety
We remind all members of our community regarding the importance of maintaining road safety in and around our College at all times.
The following are important reminders for both parents/carers and students:
All drivers are to adhere to the sign posted speed limits within the school grounds
When picking up or dropping off students in the College Bus Bay, please move the car to the furthest spot to allow as many cars access the area for pick-up or drop off as possible and avoid any traffic queues at the front gate of the school and subsequently affecting traffic on Hoxton Park Road.
No student is to be dropped off on the median strip or middle of any road or street. This is very dangerous and places at risk the lives of students and other drivers.
Respecting all road and parking laws both on the roads near the school, local streets and the parking areas in local shopping centres around the vicinity of the College.
Respecting the local neighbouring homes and not parking in front of driveways, on the grass areas in front of homes, leaving any litter and ensuring noise is kept to a minimum.
Students are to respect and follow all pedestrian road rules when using all forms of crossings in and outside the College site.
The local NSW Police Force has been briefed to carry out regular checks during morning and/or afternoon peak times to ensure drivers and pedestrians are following all road and parking laws and rules.
We encourage parents/carers to speak to their children about maintaining safe behaviour when making their way to and from the College. To assist you, please find the link below, that provides a suite of educational resources.
Morning Attendance
We remind all parents/carers that once their sons/daughters are dropped off in the morning inside the College grounds, they are to remain on the College grounds and are not permitted to leave to visit the local shops.
Our Duty of Care Obligations require that all students, once on College grounds, remain on College grounds until the end of the day.
If students are found to be leaving the College grounds once dropped off before school, this will be followed up with in accordance with consequences for truancy.
If students wish to access the shops before school, we advise parents/carers to drop them off safely outside of the College grounds.
We thank all parents/carers and students in advance for ensuring that students remain on College grounds once dropped off before school.
Attendance and Applications for Leave Reminders
Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) make very clear that “school attendance plays a critical role in enhancing the lives of students in schools. Every day of attendance adds to a student’s academic achievement and success at school, and conversely every absence, can impact their learning and progress.”. Studies are clear about the importance of attending school to ensure your sons and daughters progress and grow in their learning.
In NSW, all children from six years of age are legally required to attend school. After students complete Year 10, and until they turn 17 years of age, they must remain enrolled in school, be engaged full time in approved education, training, employment, or a combination of the two. This is a legal responsibility of all parents/carers.
Responsibilities of Parents/Carers
As per the SCS Attendance Policy, parents/carers of students enrolled at an SCS school are required to:
Ensure their child attends school each day unless exempt or absent for an approved reason.
Explain the absence of a student as soon as possible and within seven (7) school days from the first day of absence, otherwise the school will record the absence as an unexplained absence.
Provide a medical certificate where a student’s frequent, recurring or long term absence is explained as being due to illness.
Apply in advance for planned student leave
Work in partnership with the school and SCS to address any issues impacting on a student’s attendance.
At Good Samaritan Catholic College, we work in partnership with parents/carers to ensure your sons and daughters attend school each day. When attendance becomes an issue, this partnership is critical to ensure that the student’s learning and wellbeing are at the forefront of the response.
We ask that parents/carers work with our College in ensuring that you support the importance of daily school attendance, especially when you may be challenged by your sons and daughters who may ask for a “day off” or a “break from school”. Allowing this will affect their learning as you can see below:
1 day absent = 5 hours of learning missed
5 days absent = 25 hours of learning missed
10 days absent = 50 hours of learning missed
20 days absent = 100 hours of learning missed
30 days absent = 150 hours of learning missed
40 days absent = 200 hours of learning missed or the equivalent of a whole two (2) years of a HSC course.
Application for Extended Leave Procedures (Five (5) Days or More)
I have noticed a high rate of applications for extended leave recently, mostly for overseas or domestic family holidays. As you would be aware, the College does not encourage student breaks during school time, but I understand that at times, this cannot be avoided in situations where there may be a legitimate family emergency or an international learning or sporting experience. As stated earlier, I must stress however, that any absence can have a negative impact on students’ performance and, in turn, can affect their academic results.
I encourage parents/carers to avoid requesting extended leave during school terms (except in cases of extreme emergencies) and instead plan/arrange these trips during school vacation periods to avoid your son/daughter missing learning time and in some cases assessment tasks/exams and risk receiving zero marks.
Parents/carers must complete and submit the Application for Extended Leave (A1) form together with the school based (yellow) Application for Extended Leave of 5 days or more prior to commencing leave.
Both forms must be submitted with a minimum of four (4) weeks in advance of the first date of the requested extended leave. If the form is submitted late, this will result in the leave request being declined.
Travel documentation, such as travel itinerary or e-tickets, must be attached to the application.
We will not accept a reason for travel during the school term if it is not in the best interest of the student, academic or otherwise.
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they are accessing work missed and complete any work/assessment that has been required by teachers by the time they return to school or in some cases during their leave.
If the application is accepted, the code Leave (‘L’) is used. A copy of the certificate (C1) is attached to the application form (A1) and a letter is sent to parents/carers confirming the acceptance of the application.
If the application is declined, the code ‘A’ for unjustified absence is used. A copy of the certificate (D1) is attached to the application form (A1) and a letter is sent to parents/carers confirming the application being declined.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College Office or your son/daughter’s Year Coordinator.
Inspirational Quote from Pope Leo XIV
